Pressroom

Shirley Nanette and All That Jazz

Shirley Nanette is one of the first names that come to mind when you’re talking about great jazz singers. She’s appeared in concerts throughout the U.S. and Canada, been the opening act for Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons, substituted for Tony Bennett with the Spokane Symphony when he got ill, twice rode her own float in the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade, singing the entire length of the parade … and on and on. Oregon ART BEAT finds out why this jazz great has never strayed far from her Portland roots — much to the benefit of her many fans here. Tune in to the stations of Oregon Public Broadcasting on Thursday, January 7 at 8pm.

Maria Simon’s creates clay sculptures that are both flat and three-dimensional which are designed to hang on the wall. ART BEAT visits her studio as she tries a new technique for the first time, right before the camera. See what unfolds with her remarkable ability to combine color and shape into unique works of art.

Philip Clausen is not a wood carver — he’s a tree sculptor. See how he transforms gnarled logs into art and furniture on a gigantic scale. Travelers stop by his roadside shop in Riverton, between Bandon and Coquille, to marvel at six-foot-tall mushrooms and massive tree trunk tables, while he works on a commission for McMenamin’s new Rock Creek Tavern.

ART BEAT repeats Sundays at 1am and 6pm. You can watch entire ART BEAT broadcasts at http://watch.opb.org/. Video of the stories featured on ART BEAT can be viewed online immediately following the broadcast at opb.org/programs/artbeat.

About OREGON ART BEATOREGON ART BEAT, Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Emmy-Award winning local arts series, is in its 11th season. ART BEAT profiles Northwest artists, musicians and artisans — from an operatic baritone to a bit-and-spur craftsman to everything in between. The program airs Thursdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2am and 6pm. In the Mountain Time Zone of Eastern Oregon, the program airs at 9pm Thursdays and repeats at 7pm on Sundays. Funding for OREGON ART BEAT is provided in part by James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and the Kinsman Foundation. More information is available online at opb.org/artbeat.

About OPBOPB is the largest cultural and education institution in the region, delivering excellence in public broadcasting to 1.5 million people each week through television, radio and the Internet. Widely recognized as a national leader in the public broadcasting arena, OPB is a major contributor to the program schedule that serves the entire country. OPB is one of the most-used and most-supported public broadcasting services in the country and is generously supported by 120,000 contributors.